From the Catalog — This is an archive issue, originally published on Medium in November 2019. I’m migrating my early writing here to Substack as I sunset that platform. The ideas felt worth preserving — and, with six years of hindsight, worth revisiting. A brief reflection follows the original piece.

For those of us at the intersection of marketing technology and content development, the challenge seems clear: how do we evaluate cultural trends in imagery and reference these trends to engage with audiences across social and addressable media in a way that resonates with the stories we’re creating for brands? Engagement must translate not only into “likes” but also into creating meaningful conversations that can launch movements and lead to collective action. One way we can do this is through the creation and thoughtful use of iconic imagery.

What makes an image iconic?

We can start with three essential elements: culture, content, and context.

Does the image convey the state of our culture?

What are the formal aspects of the content — its subject, style, and composition/presentation?

As for context, who created this image, and where is it oriented/positioned? On which social media platforms?

The sheer magnitude of images on social media and their homogeneity of style can make it difficult to discern any meaning at all in any of it. But when an iconic image breaks through, it can resonate deeply with an audience, creating a sense of shared experience, common ground, community, and trust that can sustain over a long period of time.

The name Haddon Sundblom will be lost on many people, but the illustrations of Santa Claus he created in the 1930s for The Coca-Cola Company remain instantly recognizable to this day. Sundblom’s work is both timeless and yet of a specific time and place. The images invoke a feeling of sentimentality and nostalgia for happy times with family and friends.

So the question is, how can we create permanent associations between brands and images that resonate with specific audiences today?

Much like the Coca-Cola example, marketers are still using imagery to attract audiences, but the culture, content, and context have changed a lot since the 1930s.

Nike’s advertising partnership with Colin Kaepernick in 2018 is a good example. That campaign and the accompanying imagery became flash points around some deeply divisive issues in the U.S., including those around race, politics in sports, and big business. None of the backlash or controversy the Kaepernick campaign provoked was lost on Nike founder Phil Knight.

In an era of visual homogeneity, here are some of the trends that leading image makers were using to break through and influence culture heading into the new decade.

Rather than looking to create aspirational images, there was a trend towards documenting fashion in a way that feels more accessible and honest. Photography referencing the transparent style of Richard Avedon or the more raw, spontaneous style of photojournalism was gaining traction — imagery audiences found more honest and relatable than the polished, aspirational aesthetic that had dominated.

There was a growing tendency toward the use of shadow, noir, or dark imagery in portraiture and editorial photography. The use of chiaroscuro-influenced lighting recalls the paintings of Dutch Masters like Rembrandt. The balance of light with darkness can be beautiful and memorable — and it resonated sharply against the very clean, bright and clickable early-Instagram style that had become so ubiquitous.

Expressive tech refers to the use of AR (augmented reality) digital filters on Snapchat and Instagram that can add virtual makeup, layer images, and heighten self-expression. In contrast to the backlash against AR for facial recognition and surveillance, visual artists were embracing filters to reshape and heighten the beauty, novelty or expressiveness of imagery. Unlike the aspirational images of the past, Expressive Tech pointed toward a future where technology becomes further and more organically enmeshed in our daily lives.

Visual and audio content that provokes a deep sense of wonder, tingles the brain and creates an immersive sensory experience was gaining mainstream recognition. Hashtags like #oddlysatisfying and #asmrvideo were multiplying, pointing to an appetite for content that rewards close attention with a genuinely physical response.

The juxtaposition of a familiar space used for an unusual purpose — a novelty that captures the imagination and engages audiences through experience — was becoming a deliberate brand strategy. Dead shopping malls transformed into pop-up art galleries. Jacquemus staged fashion shows in lavender fields. Taco Bell launched a pop-up hotel in Palm Springs. These unexpected combinations of space and function grab attention through the curiosity they create, and give brands a backdrop for immersive experiences that generate novel imagery worth sharing.

In the same way that the selfie put consumers in control of their own image, social platforms created stages for its presentation — and in doing so, consumers recaptured definitions of beauty and made them their own. Inclusivity was taking hold, and audiences were beginning to see a broader range of people and images that more closely reflected their own lives. Technology enabled this transfer of power, and brands and artists could tap into this trend by showcasing social diversity in campaigns.

Sharing a brand’s ideas and values in an authentic way through imagery can build an audience that engages with the brand on a deeper, more meaningful level and over a longer period of time. At their best, campaigns that reflect and lead cultural trends help audiences sort through all the marketing messages sent to them and associate themselves with the brands that best champion their shared values.

This was the second of two posts based in part on a presentation by Alexander Tran on The New Image Economy at NeueHouse in Hollywood, October 2019.

Reading this in 2025, a few things stand out.

What landed: New Realism arguably became the dominant visual language of the decade, accelerated by TikTok’s raw, lo-fi aesthetic and the pandemic stripping away any remaining pretense of glossy production. Dark imagery had a long run — moody, desaturated tones became the visual shorthand for a certain kind of cultural authority. And the repurposing of space as brand strategy only intensified: immersive pop-ups, experiential retail, and “Instagrammable” environments became core marketing investments before the term started to feel tired.

What evolved beyond the prediction: AR filters exploded well past what I imagined — but the real story became generative AI imagery, which has complicated the “authenticity” conversation in ways I didn’t anticipate. And ASMR, rather than remaining a niche aesthetic, became a structural element of how short-form video content is produced and consumed on TikTok.

What got complicated: The inclusivity trend is the most interesting to revisit. The push for broader representation in brand imagery was real and, for a period, accelerating. Since 2023 it has faced significant pushback, with many brands retreating from public DEI commitments under cultural and political pressure. The question of whether brands should “take a stand” — Phil Knight’s framing — has become far more fraught.

The underlying challenge this piece was working through — how brands create iconic imagery that builds lasting associations — remains as open and relevant as ever.

Jeff Hallstead is a consultant and strategist working at the intersection of media, marketing, and technology. He is the founder of Momentive Ventures. You can find more of his work at jeffhallstead.com.